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Annual Conference

Last year, ASTC members served millions of students through school outreach programs. That work continued this morning at the ASTC Annual Conference with an off-site session, Outreach Live. Presenters from around the region brought their science centers’ best outreach programs to the Friends Select School in Philadelphia for both students and museum colleagues. A roundtable discussion followed to review and evaluate... Read More

As advances in neuroscience reveal biological pathways underlying emotion, attention, and memory, how can science centers harness this new research to create effective museum experiences? In an October 19 session at the ASTC Annual Conference, Jayatri Das, senior exhibit and program developer at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, led a panel of experts in neuroscience,... Read More

The Live Demonstration Hour has been an ASTC Annual Conference event for over 20 years. A hallmark of science centers, science demonstrations date back to the 17th century. Later, Benjamin Franklin entertained his friends and neighbors with his own experiments. This morning, presenters from across the United States wowed conference goers with their stretch rope walking skills, musical abilities,... Read More

How can science centers better catalyze public understanding and local action on climate change? At a plenary session October 19, ASTC conference participants joined in an animated, action-oriented discussion moderated by Joe Palca, science correspondent for National Public Radio. Providing background for the discussion were Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change... Read More

What role should science centers play in addressing complex ethical issues in the biomedical and life sciences, such as embryonic stem cell research, cloning, global warming, genetically modified foods, and vaccine safety? In the session “Why Don’t They Understand? Public Perception of Controversy in Science” on October 18 at the ASTC Annual Conference, Arthur Caplan, director of... Read More

Journalist and cultural critic Steven Berlin Johnson gave the keynote address at the ASTC Annual Conference in Philadelphia on October 18. His talk, entitled “Thinking Across Boundaries: Inspiration from The Ghost Map,” drew upon his most recent bestselling book. The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How it Changed Science, Cities, and... Read More

ASTC presented its highest award today to Dennis Wint, president and chief executive officer of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wint has served the Franklin Institute since 1995, but the museum community overall for over 35 years. Prior to his work at the Franklin Institute, Wint served as president of the Saint Louis Science Center,... Read More

As science center professionals began gathering in Philadelphia for the ASTC Annual Conference, participants from five continents took part in a day-long workshop, “Measuring Our Carbon Footprint and Fingerprints on Climate Change,” hosted by the Academy of Natural Sciences. ASTC’s International Action on Global Warming (IGLO) initiative invited representatives from various research institutions including the... Read More

Science center professionals are beginnning to arrive in Philadelphia for the 2008 ASTC annual conference. For the next four days, over 140 conference sessions will challenge participants to explore their responsibility to both their scientific and public constituencies and ask: What role do we play in reflecting or supporting the views of these communities? How do... Read More

Science center professionals from across the globe will gather in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 18–21, for the 2008 ASTC Annual Conference. ASTC 2008, “In the Public Eye: Science Centers at the Crossroads of Science and Culture,” is being hosted by the Franklin Institute. Highlights include conference sessions on topics like learning in informal environments, covering current... Read More